Caribbean Global Interactions

• Due to extensive migration, especially in the 20th century the Caribbean has influenced and contributed to societies and cultures of North America and Europe
• Many argue that the outward influence of the region is more limited than the inward impacts created by the legacy of colonialism and the current hegemony and globalization
• Caribbean migration


  Mid-19th century, Caribbean migrants have travelled and settled outside the region in North America (Canada and the USA) and Europe (Britain, France and Spain)
• Reasons for Caribbean migration

  • Seeking job and employment opportunities
  • Accessing better health, education and recreation amenities
  • Seeking political asylum
  • Asylum from discrimination and prejudice (in cases of Cuba and Haiti)
• Caribbean nationals have helped shape and form the policies and politics of extra-regional societies

  • Directly through lobbying, voting and being policy makers
  • Indirectly by forcing the hand of policy makers to implement policies to facilitate, regulate and monitor the flow and impact of these Caribbean immigrants
• Policies and laws implemented in host countries

  1. Visa and citizenship related policies and laws to regulate the number of immigrants flowing in

  2. Labour laws relating to the documentation and treatment of immigrants to protect them from exploitation

  3. Laws to ensure study intentions of migrants are legitimate

  4. Human trafficking laws to ensure adults are not forced into other countries

  5. Laws restricting the movement of cash accompanying the movement of people to prevent money laundering
• The arrival of immigrants and the establishment of immigrant communities can lead to racial tensions
• Racial tensions in the UK

  • Notting Hill riots in 1958
  • Dealt with politically and judicially by a series of Race Relations Acts in the 1960s and 1970s, which have since been replaced by the Equality Act of 2010
• Cubans have been migrating to the USA in numbers

  Late 1800s and early 1900s
• In 1910, the number of Cubans living in the US was estimated at a little more than 15,000
• Fidel Castro's accession to power in 1959

  Intention to ease the country into communism
• Resulting in the Cuban population in the US exploding over the years immediately following, many of those migrating were wealthy plantation owners, merchants and manufacturers who had lost their interests in property because the state took over all resources
• Many educated professionals fled, thinking that the country would spiral down into a system of state control and regulations would devalue their position and worth
• Ideologically, the US and Cuba were in opposition, resulting in a propaganda war. Some of this propaganda encouraged Cubans to flee and leave behind what they considered to be an oppressive regime
• The US government passed the Cuban Adjustment Act giving Cuban exiles a chance at permanent residency

  1966
• The fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 saw increased intensity in attempts to reach the US. (1994 alone, the US Coast Guard intercepted 33,000 Cubans trying to infiltrate their borders, they used unseaworthy make-shift boats to transport hundreds)
• The 'wet foot, dry foot' policy in 1995


  Any Cuban who successfully arrives on US soil is accepted and naturalized; however, those intercepted at sea are repatriated
• Since President Obama announced renewed ties with Cuba in December 2014, Cubans entering the US has increased by 78%. In 2015, more than 43,000 Cubans entered the US legally, compared to approximately 15,000-20,000 per year in previous years
• Nearly 60% of US Cubans were born outside of the US and more than half are US citizens. This has given the Cuban diaspora in Miami immense political clout because many US politicians see these voters as a group that can determine elections
• Cubans of Florida have also created one of the nation's strongest ethnic lobby groups in the Cuban American National Foundation
• Cubans, more than any other Latin American group of immigrants living in the US, are highly politically active. (48% of all eligible Hispanics voted in the 2012 election, the rate was approximately 67% for Latinos of Cuban descent)
• Immigration to the US from Haiti has occurred since the Haitian Revolution, but the decades of the late 20th century and early 21st century saw a large increase in the wake of successive failed governments and ensuing political violence and social unrest in this country
• The disastrous earthquake of 2010 drastically increased the numbers as many sought refuge from the ensuing food and water shortages and economic hardships. By 2012 there were almost a million Haitians in the US, triple the number in 1990, with half of that figure living in Florida
• The number of elected local officials coming from the Haitian American community is on the increase and includes State Representative Daphne D. Campbell
• These politicians have pushed for improved immigration policies to help Haitians secure US residency or citizenship status, and to help integrate Haitians into American society
• Organizations such as the Haitian American Democratic Club and the Haitian-American Nurses Association of Florida are active in recruiting candidates, hosting voter drives and forming alliances with the aim of getting more Haitian-Americans elected
• Haitians are trying to make a direct impact on policy making in Florida to amalgamate and strengthen their presence in the US
• The Haitian Family Reunification Parole (HFRP) policy in 2014

  Allowed Haitian families in the US with green cards or residency status to file for their immediate family members living in Haiti to come to America
• The migration of Caribbean nationals to North America and Europe has led to the spread of Caribbean culture to these extra-regional societies
• Caribbean carnival


  One of the main cultural forms to be transplanted to other parts of the world
• Locations of Caribbean carnivals

  • London (Notting Hill)
  • Toronto (Carabina)
  • New York (Labour Day Parade)
• Caribbean festivities

  • Imbued with popular cultural forms such as music (reggae, dancehall, calypso and Soca), dress (use of brightly colored and highly reflective costumes), dance (usually modern Caribbean erotic dances) and cuisine
• Positive impacts of Caribbean festivals

  • Strengthens the presence and impact of a Caribbean community in the host country and informs and educates local people about Caribbean history and culture
  • Provides an introduction and promotion of Caribbean music, dance and food, potentially leading to a demand for these products and services
  • An economic earner for host countries because Caribbean businesses can develop out of these festivals as their presence can be a marketing tool
  • Provides a showcase for the talents and creativity of Caribbean nationals, which can lead to interest in Caribbean craftsmanship and the potential for forging links to develop products
• Negative impacts of Caribbean festivals

  • Host country nationals may look down on Caribbean cultural symbols and identity (ethnocentrism) and may have negative views of the nature of the sometimes-erotic dancing and suggestive lyrics of many songs played at festivals
  • Vibrant celebrations may lead to increased noise level, causing disturbances for nearby nations. This pollution can affect residents, businesses and overall tranquility
  • The festivals may be seen as an inconvenience for many locals who have no interest since roads are closed and public spaces are dedicated to the festivities
  • They may incite feelings of xenophobia feeling that the influence of Caribbean people is too strong because of the sheer size of the Caribbean festivities
• Much of the historic migration to metropolitan countries, in the early 20th century, has been for the purposes of work - more opportunities, better jobs, better conditions and higher wages have been major pull factors
• Migrant labour from the Caribbean, whether temporary, seasonal or more permanent, has had an impact on the societies and economies of the host countries
• Impact of Caribbean migrant labour in post-war Britain

  • Shortage of nurses resulted in many young Caribbean women being recruited to go to the UK to train as nurses in the newly established National Health Service
  • Many stayed on in the UK, continuing their careers and raising families
  • A large number of Caribbean male migrants worked in the transport industry as bus and train drivers or conductors and guards
  • Later, migrants were recruited to counter a shortage of teachers
• Today, seasonal labour from the Caribbean is critical to the agricultural sector in parts of Canada and the US, such as fruit growing in Ontario, Canada, and sugar cane cultivation in Florida
• The work of the laborers supports the local economies and helps keep the local farming sector profitable, because local labour would be too expensive
• The wages are low by local standards, but relatively high for the Caribbean. Not all the money earned comes back to Caribbean, however, as much is spent on small appliances, clothes and gifts before the workers return